Former nonprofit executive Jon Baron has selected Natalie Williams, who has a long history in District politics as a former spokeswoman for Marion Barry and a former Ward 8 president, to join his ticket in his bid to become Maryland’s next governor.

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       Williams, who began her career in television journalism, lives in Prince George’s County and serves as a communications executive for the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. She has worked as a senior staff member with the D.C. Council and the D.C. Board of Education.

       Baron, one of 10 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, said Williams brings more than 20 years of experience in government, communications and community engagement to the team.

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       “I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Natalie join the campaign,” Baron said in a statement. “She’s had an incredible career in public service — from her executive roles in leading nonprofit organizations to her launch of a foundation to increase breast cancer awareness and her extensive work in government and local news.”

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       Both are political newcomers in Maryland. Baron, who served in the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations, is trying to distinguish himself in the crowded field as an experienced administrator who can reinvent government.

       Williams, 50, once served as a public relations consultant for Barry and had his support when she ran for president of the Ward 8 Democratic Party and as chairwoman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8A. She served as president of Ward 8 from 2013 to 2015. She worked for 12 years in local television news.

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       “My whole career has been about communicating with people — about health care, about education, about the politics and policies that affect their everyday lives,” Williams said in a statement. “Communication is at the core of public service and good government, and I’m humbled by the opportunity to bring my years of experience to the campaign trail and to Annapolis.”

       Maryland’s primary, which was previously scheduled for June 28, has been moved to July 19 due to litigation over the state’s redrawn legislative map.